certify

English

Etymology

From Old French certefier (“confirm, assure, make certain”). Compare French certifier.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈsɜː.tɪ.faɪ/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈsɝ.tɪ.faɪ/, [ˈsɝ.ɾɪ.faɪ]
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈsɜː.tɪ.fɑɪ/, [ˈsɜː.ɾɪ.faɪ]

Verb

certify (third-person singular simple present certifies, present participle certifying, simple past and past participle certified)

1. (transitive) To attest to (a fact) as the truth.
2. (transitive, law) To authenticate or verify in writing.
3. (transitive) To attest that a product, service, organization, or person has met an official standard.

   These blankets have been certified as fireproof.

4. (transitive, archaic) To inform; to tell (a person) that something is true.
   • 1847, The Church of England Magazine, volume 23, page 239:

     Our deeds do us three manners of service. First, they certify us that we are heirs of everlasting life, and that the Spirit of God, which is the earnest thereof, is in us.

5. (archaic, reflexive) To assure (oneself) of something; to ascertain.
   • 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC:

     After having certified himself of her own good health, he very kindly inquired about her mother and Miss Sophy […] .

Synonyms

• (to attest as to): attest, witness, vouch for, approve, confirm

Derived terms

terms derived from certify (verb)

• certifiable
• decertify

Related terms

terms related to certify (verb)

• certification

Translations

to attest as to

• Bulgarian: удостоверявам (bg) (udostoverjavam), свидетелствам (svidetelstvam), потвърждавам (bg) (potvǎrždavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 證明／证明 (zh) (zhèngmíng)

• Esperanto: certigi (eo)
• Finnish: todistaa (fi)
• French: certifier (fr)
• German: zertifizieren (de)
• Greek: πιστοποιώ (el) (pistopoió)
• Hebrew: וידא‎ (vidé)
• Ido: certigar (io)
• Italian: certificare (it)
• Japanese: 認証する (ja) (にんしょうする, ninshō suru)
• Korean: 인증하다 (ko) (injeunghada)
• Manx: shickyree
• Maori: tiwhikete
• Portuguese: certificar (pt)
• Romanian: certifica (ro)
• Russian: удостоверя́ть (ru) impf (udostoverjátʹ), удостове́рить (ru) pf (udostovéritʹ), заверя́ть (ru) impf (zaverjátʹ), заве́рить (ru) pf (zavéritʹ), подтвержда́ть (ru) impf (podtverždátʹ), подтверди́ть (ru) pf (podtverdítʹ), свиде́тельствовать (ru) impf (svidételʹstvovatʹ), освиде́тельствовать (ru) pf (osvidételʹstvovatʹ), засвиде́тельствовать (ru) pf (zasvidételʹstvovatʹ)
• Spanish: certificar (es)
• Telugu: ధ్రువీకరించు (te) (dhruvīkariñcu)
• Ukrainian: сві́дчити impf (svídčyty), засві́дчувати impf (zasvídčuvaty), засві́дчити pf (zasvídčyty), завіря́ти (uk) impf (zavirjáty), заві́рити (uk) pf (zavíryty), посві́дчувати impf (posvídčuvaty), посві́дчити pf (posvídčyty)

to attest that a product, service, organization, or person has met an official standard

• Polish: certyfikować (pl) impf
• Russian: сертифици́ровать (ru) impf or pf (sertificírovatʹ)
• Ukrainian: сертифікува́ти impf or pf (sertyfikuváty)

References

• “certify”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “certify”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• cretify, rectify

Chinese

Etymology

Ellipsis of English certified dead.

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): soe¹ ti⁴ faai⁴

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• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: soe¹ ti⁴ faai⁴
    • Yale: sēu tìh fàaih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: soe¹ ti⁴ faai⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: sê¹ ti⁴ fai⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sœː⁵⁵ tʰiː²¹ faːi̯²¹/

Verb

certify

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) to attest, to declare one's death (by a doctor); to be attested, to be declared dead (by a doctor).
   • 2019 March 8, “公院夾縫中發圍 「急症之父」鍾展鴻：等多過4個鐘不能接受”, in 眾新聞‎^[1]:

     「以前cardiac arrest（心臟驟停），入到嚟（急症室）心臟停頓嗰啲呢，唔係喺急症室certify（而是送上病房，由病房醫生證明死亡）。I think it’s completely nonsense。」

     “In the past, [when a patient has] cardiac arrest, those who enters [the A&E] with their hearts stopped, they are not certified dead in the A&E, but instead sent to the wards and certify the death by the doctors in the ward. I think it's complete nonsenese.”

2. (Hong Kong Cantonese, figurative) to declare the death or decline of someone or something